Effect of barley (Hordeum vulgare L) / faba bean (Vicia fabae L) intercropping on productivity and land use efficiency in highlands of Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Field experiment was conducted at Bule testing site of Hawassa Agricultural Research Center during 2006 to 2008 cropping season to assess the effect of barley faba bean intercropping on productivity and profitability of the component crops. The treatments consisted of one, two and three rows of barley with one, two and three rows of faba bean combined in factorial and laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Sole crops of barley and faba bean were included in the treatments as control. Sole barley was planted at row spacing of 20 cm while inter and intra row spacing for barley were 40 and 10 cm, respectively. Biomass, grain yield, productivity and profitability reacted differently to spatial arrangement of barley and faba bean intercropping. Significantly the highest biomass yield recorded for sole cropping barley and followed by spatial arrangement of 1B:3FB. Similarly, significantly the highest grain yield was recorded for spatial arrangement of 1B:1FB and followed by 1B:2FB. The highest biomass yield was obtained from sole faba bean which was followed by spatial arrangement of 3B:2FB. In line with this the greatest grain yield was achieved from sole faba bean followed by spatial arrangement of 3B:2FB.In general productivity and profitability improved in intercropping as compared to sole cropping. Based on this result spatial arrangements of 1B:1FB and 1B:2FB could be used in considering barley as main crop and faba bean as bonus crop.

Keywords: - intercropping, changing climate, monetary benefit, productivity, subsistence